Lentorama 2025: Perfunctory Popes

Day 35: John XIV

While many popes were named with the consent of an emperor or king, John is an example of a pope chosen and installed by an emperor without input from nobles or clergy or even an election. Which works out fine - until the emperor dies.

Otto II was the Holy Roman Emperor when Pope Benedict VII died in 983. He wanted the abbot Maiolus of Cluny as the next pope, but Maiolus declined. Otto then turned to the bishop of Pavia, Peter Canepanova, who would eventually accept. He took the name John in deference to St. Peter's role as the first pope, becoming one of the few popes up to then to serve under something other than his birth name.

Otto died not long after John became pope, and the empress left Rome soon after in order to help her son hold the throne. John was left without support, opening the way for the return of Boniface VII. Boniface had held the papacy briefly about a decade before, but was overthrown for his own bad actions while in office. He spent that intervening decade in Constantinople, nurturing relationships that helped him retake the throne. John was imprisoned and died about four months later, though the cause (natural or otherwise) is unknown.

For what it's worth, Boniface's second run as pope lasted less than a year, and after he died (cause also unknown) he was stripped naked, dragged through the streets of Rome, and left under a statue of Marcus Aurelius outside the Lateran Palace.  It would take until the 20th century for Boniface to be considered an antipope and be removed from the list of popes.